


Family

by HazelGatoya



Series: My Constant State of Pitying Alphonse [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: "My Constant State of Pitying Alphonse" woooo, Arvis is the very definition of "cool motive- still murder", But Maria did nothing wrong so he still loves her, Gen, It's a problem with Jugdral characters, Michalis is a hecking moron about family, This man continues to ruin me, Though everyone except Arvis and Maria are just mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 16:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18996487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelGatoya/pseuds/HazelGatoya
Summary: Maria and Arvis have a quiet conversation at night.





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> From my Heroes universe. I've been sitting on this one for awhile because other uploads take priority, but I figured that I'd share a conversation between redheads with similar backgrounds.

        Maria knew it was probably a bad idea to be wandering around the AAW so late at night. She still remembered how sharp Michalis had been about her staying with him because "he couldn't keep an eye on her every second of the day" if she did. He apparently trusted the rest of the castle more than the people he lived with, not... that Maria blamed him after what she'd heard from Sakura.

        The slightly older healer had stammered out that an awful king lived here, one that could turn into a dragon and eat her up. King Zephiel wouldn't harm her, but he tended to see all humanity as a bother, something that he had shown her himself her first day here after he had a short conversation with Michalis about Idunn. 

        Maria liked Idunn. She was distant, sure, but she was pretty and she was gentle, and she had great friends. She still had trouble believing that the manakete worked for someone like Zephiel... or that Narcian would be so scared of her.

        Valter was scary. She didn't fault Michalis for not wanting her around him when L'Arachel had told her a few things, and he was just plain creepy from a distance besides...

        There was a flare of light from outside, and she moved towards it cautiously, her tense posture relaxing when she saw who was out there.

        There were decent people in this wing. Michalis, for one! Berkut was kind of gruff, but he was willing to talk to her and listen to her stories for a time before he moved on with his day. 

        Arvis, however...

        She watched as another target in the little training yard burst into flame. Arvis never pushed her away when she came, listening quietly to everything she chattered about until Michalis pulled her away and scolded her gently for bothering the emperor so. Sometimes he even asked questions or agreed to walk outside the castle with her. 

        She'd never seen him actually use his tome to set things on fire before now, she realized as another target was reduced to ash. Normally he just threw it at Narcian and Valter when they were either too close or being particularly irritating. It usually knocked them out. He was a good shot. It was times like those that he was fierce, scary, but he was protecting her so it was alright. 

        He didn't seem fierce now. The last target was left smoldering, and Arvis sank to a sitting position, exhaustion showing clearly as he brought a hand up to his long red hair. Maria watched for another moment as he he sat there, breathing heavily, and then she stepped out of the building. "Emperor Arvis?"

        He flinched slightly, and she blinked. He... didn't do that. "Maria." He didn't have to turn to face her to know, apparently. His voice was slightly hoarse, rough. "What are you doing awake at this hour?"

        "I... couldn't sleep," she admitted, coming closer to sit next to him. She wasn't even tired, not really, with her stomach all tied up in knots. 

        He glanced to her, sitting up slightly and letting his hand fall. His expression, as usual, unreadable. "Then why would you come to this wing? Surely there are other parts of the castle that you can explore."

        "My brother lives here." Maria shook her head slightly, looking down. "I... I was thinking of him and here is where my feet took me. I know he doesn't want me here at this time of night, it just happened to be where I ended up."

        Arvis was silent. She felt his gaze move off of her, though. After a few long moments, he took a breath. "What's so heavy on your mind about him that you can't sleep?"

        Maria shifted. "W-well... we talked about Minerva today." She looked up, and a hint of recognition had entered his gaze. "He and I, after Kiran had you move out for that daily thing? He said... some pretty harsh things."

        "If I remember correctly, your sister joined Prince Marth's army, which was in direct opposition to your brother's rule?"

        "Yeah." Maybe Michalis had talked to Arvis about this before. "I just... Kiran told me once that they were hoping to summon Minerva someday." Maria bit her lip. "Sakura's whole family isn't here yet, but I've seen how they all get along, and... it's just so different. I wanted that for ours, but... Michalis says he hates Minerva, that they're nothing more than rivals now. That can't be true, can it? How can a person hate their own sibling?"

        "...If he is telling the truth, then I don't know how he's doing it," Arvis replied quietly. "Your brother is a proud man, Maria. It could be he's being insistent on keeping that pride since the way that he was summoned makes things... difficult for him."

        Maria had a vague idea of what he was talking about. Most of the people in this wing had been rescued from Princess Veronica, and from what Lloyd had explained, that made them... weaker, in a sense. She'd felt it herself, a sort of weight she hadn't known was there suddenly being lifted off of her shoulders one day, even though she'd been summoned normally. Kiran said she still wasn't front line material yet, apparently there was a process for that. "Do you have any siblings, Emperor Arvis?" she asked. 

        Something unfamiliar flashed across his face, and he looked away, toward the burned targets. "One," he replied, voice far quieter than even before, but still the level tone that he always had unless he was angry. "A little brother named Azel."

        Maria tilted her head. "Did... did you two get along?"

        "Most of the time." There was something she did not recognize in his dark brown eyes, even as his face remained expressionless. "He was a sweet child. Only about a year old when our father died. You remind me much of him."

        Maria blinked. "I... I do?"

        "You do. You have the same kindness, the same fire. I'll admit he was never as talkative or as brave as you... well... not until he was far older." Arvis closed his eyes, taking a breath. "That's when we began to fight. We found ourselves with opposing forces, much like Minerva and Michalis."

        Maria sat there, stunned. Suddenly she began to wonder just how much she knew about Arvis... not much, obviously. She hadn't even known that he and Michalis were so similar, and she wondered if Michalis even knew that. Arvis was so quiet compared to the others in this wing- well, compared to the most people Maria hung out with too. "You still love him right?"

        "Yes." The answer was immediate, his tone no longer level, and his eyes were shining slightly when he opened them. "I don't know how Michalis does it or why he feels the need to, but he should not be upsetting you so. Blood... is not something so easily ignored simply because one is forced to fight those they hold dear."

        She was silent, but nodded her gratitude to his words. Not a single tear fell from his eyes, he blinked them back. "Maybe Azel will come here," she offered. "Then you two can work things out."

        "...We'll see." His tone was measured, level again. He stood. "You should be in bed, Maria. I'll walk you back."

        "Are you sure?" She got to her feet, smoothing out her white skirt. "You never go into the main halls."

        "Lewyn should be in bed." He turned on his heel. "If he's not, then I'll deal with the consequences. Regardless of him, you should not be wandering the castle alone."

        Maria scampered after him, unable to match his long, graceful stride without acting like a child. Well, she supposed she was still a child, but... yeah. "Is he the one who punched you through a wall?" she asked. He nodded. "Why? You're nice and so is he."

        "Maria."

        There was a warning in his tone. A warning very akin to the one Michalis and Minerva used. Perhaps all older siblings had it. She knew what it meant, and so they continued through the halls in silence until she reached up and tugged on his sleeve. "That's mine." She pointed to the room she shared with Eirika and L'Arachel. 

        He gave a small nod. "Alright. Goodnight, then."

        He looked so tired and she remembered the shine to his eyes- so she didn't resist the urge to hug him this time. He stiffened, but she didn't linger too long. "Goodnight. Sleep well, Emperor Arvis."  _Feel better,_  she whispered in her mind as he turned on his heel and moved away, his long red hair and dark coat fluttering behind him. She knew she felt better after their conversation, but... but if she'd hurt him, was it worth it?

        She opened the door to her room. Azel would come, probably. Azel would come and then Arvis and Berkut wouldn't be so lonely anymore. And Michalis... Michalis would come around, because he still did love Minerva and was just too stubborn to admit it. They'd be a family again one day. Content with that knowledge, she was finally able to get to sleep for the night.


End file.
